The drivers continued at the echelon up on the plateau. The daily life consisted of a morning and afternoon grooming period after which the horses were ridden bareback down the valley to the town of Dommartin to the only water available. Beyond this, little was done during the daylight hours. It was at night that the line of loaded caissons worked its way down the twisting road into Herbeuville. The road was frequently under fire and in spots offered treacherous footing, but all trips were made with safety.

                The echelon had the bad luck to have an active battery of the 103rd Artillery back of it, and almost every night the Boche, in trying to put them out of action, would cause our drivers the greatest inconvenience. The deep dugouts made the men more or less independent of this searching fire, but for the horses there was no protection. One afternoon a shell burst closer than usual, killing one horse and wounding another. A splinter from it wounded one of the drivers who was taking a nap in his pup-tent.

                The town of Dommartin sported a Red Cross hut and a delousing machine, or "cootie incubator". The men were sent down from the guns and from the echelon in small groups to be deloused. After their bath, they fell in line at the Red Cross hut, and never came away empty-handed. The popularity of these visits received a death blow when a German 210 millimeter H. E. shell landed within a few feet of the cootie machine!

                On the night of September 23 it looked as if the whole Battery might have some fun. A raid was

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